Daniel M. DiLella Selected as 2011 Bartley Alumni Medallion Recipient

Award recognizes extraordinary service to VSB

Daniel M. DiLella is the 2011 recipient of The Rev. Joseph C. Bartley, O.S.A. Alumni Medallion at the Villanova School of Business. The Bartley Medallion is given annually to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers while also demonstrating extraordinary service to their communities and to VSB. The selection committee, comprised of staff and faculty from each academic area, met to review the nominations and chose—with Fr. Peter’s endorsement—Daniel (Dan) M. DiLella VSB ’73 to receive this honor. This award is the highest distinction the school can bestow to an alumnus/a.

Dan DiLella, president and chief executive officer of BPG Properties, Ltd., is dedicated to improving Villanova. His ongoing and consistent support has resulted in such initiatives as the creation of the Institute for Research in Advanced Financial Technology and the Daniel M. DiLella Endowed University Scholarship. In 2008, he established the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, and he currently serves as chair of the center’s Advisory Council. “Dan has been the driving force behind the DiLella Center for Real Estate,” said Shawn Howton, associate professor of finance and director of the DiLella Center. “The real estate industry has evolved over time to become a highly technical field requiring many areas of expertise. Dan recognized the need for the formal education of young real estate professionals and stepped up to help create a program that would meet the demands of the industry. Thanks to Dan, Villanova is now among the top real estate education programs in the nation.”

DiLella has been a commercial real estate specialist for nearly 40 years. Under his leadership, BPG has grown to become a multi-faceted national real estate investment company with expertise in development, investment, property management, and asset management. Prior to joining BPG in 1983, DiLella was vice president at Girard Bank, where he had a ten-year career in the commercial real estate department.

In addition to his current membership in the Heritage Society of 1842 at Villanova, DiLella previously served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for VSB and was a member of the Major Gifts Committee. He received the St. Thomas of Villanova Alumni Medal in 2004.

DiLella is also an active philanthropist in the Philadelphia community, having participated in a number of humanitarian, educational, and cultural causes. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the Committee of Seventy and the Philadelphia Police Foundation, serves as director of the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, is a trustee of the Cahill Trust of Roman Catholic High School, and is the chairman of both the Scholarship Foundation for the Union League of Philadelphia and the advisory board of Roman Catholic High School. DiLella formerly served as a trustee for the Heritage of Faith-Vision of Hope Campaign for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the World Affairs Council, as a board member of the Pennsylvania Ballet, and as president of the Union League of Philadelphia.

The Bartley Alumni Medallion will be presented to DiLella in the company of VSB’s most supportive business leaders, who are also engaged in advisory councils across the school. On the morning following the award presentation, these nine advisory councils will meet for a general session with the university president, Fr. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D., to discuss the strategic initiatives of the school and the university.

Founded in 1922, The Villanova School of Business is ranked #7 in the nation among undergraduate business schools by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The school is home to six Centers of Excellence in the areas of creativity and innovation; marketing and public policy; global leadership; church management; business analytics; and real estate.

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About VSB

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The Villanova School of Business is a premier educational institution that offers undergraduate programs, graduate programs and executive education. Founded in 1922, VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business.